Bridging Our Stories

In the Women's Pre-Conference 2015 in Merville, France, we build with Lego a colourful structure. Here are the words from the final session, where we connected the individual structures into one piece.

You are welcome to use all or parts as you would like if these words inspire you to do so. They were inspired by some of the notes that were written on the papers - and also by the conversations and reactions through the two days.

This Women's Pre-Conference was prepared and chaired by Sharon and Mette from Denmark.

Closing day - Bridging our stories

We have come from different countries, regions, continents,from cities, towns and countrysidesfrom houses, apartments, shacks, rooms

We come from homes,Loving homes, breaking homes, sacred homes

We bring our whole selves here, with journeys that include heartache,heartbreak, pain, loss, illness, fears of isolation, a search for private spaces, separation.

We bring our whole selves here, living within faith communities full of surprises, struggles, challenges, activism and changes.

We bring our whole selves here, into this space, and into these days. Let us take some time to share our hopes and prayers for the coming days, building bridges between our small structures on the table.

(time to build)

We have built, with careful, sometimes shaking hands, connections and bridges from each of the small structures, small towers, to make one large, new, pentecostal spirit structure.

Colourful as a rainbow

Strong enough to hold all that we have come with.Open enough to always let another story in.Dynamic enough to accept changes as they come.

This is our space. It is holy and it is wholly ours to hold.

Blessing

May the creator of light and life be with us in our creativenessto build and rebuild this space we shareMay the great reconciler bring us together, heal us where we are broken and lead us to explore new ways of understanding, love, responsibility to the other and ourselves. May the spirit find a home amongst us, so that our community is strengthened and rises like fires of pentecost to go out as a whole people, a chosen people, a loved people.